Breast cancer screening Over 17,000 carcinomas detected by mammography screening

Breast Cancer Month 2015: Precaution, nutritional recommendations and health tips
More than 70,000 women in Germany suffer from breast cancer each year. About 17,000 women die every year. On the occasion of the October breast cancer month, health experts regularly inform about the malignant tumor. The mammography screening program detected more than 17,000 carcinomas within one year. However, it remains controversial.

More than 70,000 new cases of breast cancer occur annually in Germany. Around 17,000 women die each year from the consequences. (Image: SENTELLO / fotolia.com)

Breast cancer month of October
In Germany, more than 70,000 women are diagnosed with breast cancer each year. Around 17,000 women die annually according to the Robert Koch Institute (RKI). Breast cancer is the most common malignant tumor in women. As every year, health experts are providing information about this cancer on the occasion of October's breast cancer month. The cooperation community mammography announced in a press release that the mammography screening program discovered around 17,300 carcinomas within one year. About 80 percent of these were at most 20 millimeters in size and without lymph node involvement. It is said that the proportion of prognostically favorable breast cancer before the introduction of the screening, which was adopted by the German Bundestag in 2002 and implemented nationwide since 2009, was significantly lower.

Breast cancer detectable in the early stage
"The current results confirm the high quality of the German mammography screening program," said Vanessa Kääb-Sanyal, acting branch manager of the cooperation group mammography. "We find breast cancer at an early stage. At the same time, we can keep the burden on women as low as possible. "As the statement goes on to say, of the 2.8 million women screened in 2012, just under five percent were once again a complementary examination with palpation, ultrasound or mammography summoned. "These suspected findings must be clarified so as not to overlook carcinomas. In most cases, suspected breast cancer is not confirmed, "said Kääb-Sanyal. In just over one percent of women examined, tissue sampling was required. On average, breast cancer was detected in six out of every 1,000 women examined.

Controversial mammography screening
About half of all women between the ages of 50 and 69 have participated in the early breast cancer screening program based on the "European Guidelines for Quality Assurance of Mammography Screening". According to the cooperation community mammography, acceptance in Saxony is the highest with around 65 percent. Accordingly, the fewest women participate in Bavaria (around 50 percent). Critics point out, however, that a mammography screening offers no guarantee and some tumors are not discovered at all. In addition, there are always scientific studies that increase the doubts about the program. Thus, the benefits of mammography screening according to the study is weak. Two studies with health data from the USA and Sweden came to this conclusion recently. Kääb-Sanyal admitted that the examinations could lead to "over-therapy": "Unfortunately, overdiagnosis or over-therapy is unavoidable. They occur in every cancer screening. "

Health tips and nutritional recommendations
Health experts are increasingly pointing to preventive measures on the occasion of the breast cancer month. Since lifestyle factors such as physical inactivity or obesity or obesity are partly responsible for the high number of breast cancers, it is above all frequent and persistent exercise that is useful in preventing the disease risk in a preventive manner. Through regular exercise you can stimulate your metabolism, strengthen the immune system and help your body to repair damage to the genome itself. Overweight should be avoided or, if necessary, reduced. The German Cancer Aid also has some nutrition tips on its website. So the experts recommend to eat a lot of fresh fruits and vegetables, according to the season. It contains fiber, vitamins, minerals, bioactive substances and healthy phytochemicals to protect the body against cancer. With meat and above all sausage one should be economical. The intake of fat from animal sources should generally be reduced, for example by replacing animal fats with vegetable fats, preferably with good vegetable oils such as olive or rapeseed oil. And it is advised at most to drink alcohol and not daily. (Ad)